“You and your men risked everything to rescue her. Even now, if anyone found out what really happened, you, Ace, the guys….” Leo put his hand to King’s cheek. “Is this what was holding you back?”

  “You knew?” Maybe Leo didn’t know exactly what King was hiding, but he’d known something was wrong.

  “Every time you got close to opening up, you’d pull back. Did you think I would blame you?”

  “I wanted to talk to your dad first. He was trying to protect you.” King let out a heavy sigh. “And yes, a part of me thought that you wouldn’t want anything to do with me if you knew the truth, but falling in love with you… I had to tell you.”

  “Maybe it’s time my dad trusted me to take care of myself. I don’t blame you, Ward. How could I? You’re even more amazing than I thought you were. You risked your life to save my mom. I’m so sorry you lost your brothers, but that wasn’t your fault. They loved you. How could they not? I mean, seeing how Ace and the others are with you, it’s so obvious. Tell me, if one of them had approached you asking you to save someone they cared about, would you even have hesitated?”

  King shook his head. “Never.”

  “See? I know my telling you not to feel guilty isn’t going to stop you from feeling it, but what was it you said to me recently? You always have a choice. You, your brothers, had a choice to go in first or wait. They were good men, and they chose to risk their lives to save another. For that, I will always be grateful to them.” King wiped a tear from Leo’s cheek with his thumb.

  “I love you, Ward. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’m not going to lie. I come with a hell of a lot of maintenance. ‘The Manual for the Caring and Feeding of Leo’ is hefty. Like unabridged-encyclopedia long. I used to use mine as a step stool when I was a kid, course the thing was heavier than I was so you could hear me pushing it across the floor from a mile away. What was I saying? Right, yeah, see, that. I’m not like everyone else, but if you think you’re up for it, I can guarantee no one will love you more fiercely than me, and I won’t let you go skulking back into your shadows. According to Ace, I seem pretty good for you. What do you say? Is there room in your life for an awkward geek with anxiety issues, who can’t cook, and has a penchant for fish-shaped snacks?”

  King wrapped his arm around Leo’s waist, bringing him in close. “What you think are your faults, are part of what makes you amazing, Leo. I fell in love with all of you, and in return you haven’t just given me your beautiful heart, you’ve given me an amazing gift.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Joy. Not that I wasn’t happy with my life, but Ace was right—God help me—something was missing. You were missing. I’m not perfect, and I don’t need to be. I might still carry the guilt from what happened that day in Syria, but for the first time in my life, I feel like it doesn’t define me. That I can move forward with my life and enjoy all the good in it. You gave that to me, Leo.” King brushed his lips over Leo’s, loving the way Leo opened up for him.

  Together they completed a whole. For all of their vast differences, no one was better suited for him than Leo. As King kissed Leo, losing himself in the warmth and love of the wonderful man in his arms, King knew he’d do everything to hold on tight to the love he’d found. Maybe the good in him was wrapped in a rough exterior, like the diamond in the rough Pip had been convinced King was, but that was okay, because the people who mattered most in his life loved him the way he was.

  Epilogue

  TWO MONTHS LATER

  Perfect.

  King stood back to admire his handiwork. He was probably as excited about this room as Leo.

  The moment Leo had stepped foot back into his apartment he’d started tapping anxiously at his leg as he walked around, until King brought him into his arms and asked him to share his thoughts. What followed was a ramble of epic proportions that ultimately equated to Leo not wanting to live there anymore. After what had happened there with Bowers, he no longer felt safe. And while he didn’t know where to go or what to do, he knew he wanted to be closer to King. Finding Leo a new place where he felt secure would have been a challenge, to say the least. Then it occurred to King that the safest place for Leo would be in King’s home.

  Leo had blinked up at him, his beautiful face a picture of bewilderment until it finally sank in that King wanted him to move in. Deciding to live together after a few months might seem quicker than the average couple, but they agreed they weren’t exactly average. King knew Leo was it for him. It had taken him this long to find the right someone to lose his heart to. And for Leo, King was everything he wanted and needed. He adored King, loved his family, and together they made one hell of a team.

  After Leo jumped on him, assaulting him with kisses followed by one of the best blow jobs King had ever had, King got the ball rolling. He took care of the arrangements and sold Leo’s apartment to a friend of Leo’s sister who’d just started a new job not far from there. The only belongings Leo wanted to take with him to King’s house were his clothing, collectibles, electronics, and snacks. He’d never considered most of the furniture his, so he didn’t have any trouble leaving it behind—except for his computer chair. King had a feeling that thing was going to be with them for a very long time.

  King had been a little worried about what Leo would think of his house. It wasn’t on the beach, but sort of in the middle of a forest, surrounded by nothing much but trees. It was a big house, but nothing extravagant. Comfort and simplicity had been his goals when he’d redecorated after inheriting the home from his parents after they were gone. There were a lot of good memories in this house, and some difficult ones, but it was a family home, where the guys walked in as if it were their own place. They came at all hours, hung out, and shared meals.

  Leo hadn’t simply loved the house, he settled in like he’d always been there, stating he was sorry but was having an affair with King’s couch. The plump cushions, softness, and size had been the downfall of many, so King didn’t fault him. The one thing that stood out to King was that Leo needed a new safe haven within the house. A little nest that was all Leo’s. So King had asked Leo to create a 3D rendering of what he’d want his new room to look like, and King had recreated it exactly.

  He stood back, admiring the navy-blue paint on the walls, with the thick white stripe running along one wall near the ceiling before it dropped down at an angle on the right wall and then again on the third wall until it reached the door.

  The furniture was all black and silver, with Leo’s L-shaped desk in the corner along the right wall with his favorite chair, his computer, multiple monitors, and equipment. Beside it was a set of metal drawers. In the center of the room to the left of the desk, King had mounted the large flat-screen TV, and underneath the TV a two-shelved TV stand housed Leo’s various game consoles and Blu-Ray player. A comfy black couch and coffee table that had a Game of Thrones map embedded in the surface completed the space. The left wall had floating bookcases that King had installed, where Leo’s collectibles were painstakingly displayed. Everything was exactly to Leo’s specifications.

  The only thing missing was Leo. Where had he gone off to?

  “Leo?” King walked into the hallway when he heard a crash from the direction of his office.

  “In here,” Leo called out.

  King found Leo in his office on the floor, several boxes scattered around him. He hurried over to help him up. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, sorry. I was trying to store some of these boxes in the closet like you said I could, but I couldn’t reach the very top, so I stood on my toes, and well, the step stool took offense.”

  King chuckled and picked up one of the boxes. “Just tell me where you want them to go, and I’ll put them up there.”

  “Sure.” Leo handed him the boxes one by one, and King put them up on the top shelf that he’d emptied for Leo. They were mostly collectibles Leo didn’t need to have displayed but didn’t want to get rid of.

  “What’s this?” Leo asked, removing a box from the middle shelf. He picked up one of the tins. “Altoids?”

  “They’re for pocket-size survival kits. I’ve been making them for the guys since our first deployment.”

  Leo returned the box to the shelf and removed one a lot more beat-up. King swallowed hard, knowing what was in it.

  “These look really old. They’re stained with dirt, and is this… blood?” Leo’s head shot up, his eyes wide.

  “Those belonged to the guys,” King said quietly, taking the box from him. “I know it’s morose and messed-up, but their families didn’t want them, and I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away.”

  Leo gasped, looking horrified by the idea. “Throw them away? Why would you do that? They belonged to your friends, your brothers. You put them together for the guys, and they carried those kits on them. It’s a part of them.”

  King was taken aback by Leo’s words.

  “What?”

  “My last boyfriend became my ex when I refused to get rid of them. He thought it was creepy.”

  “If he couldn’t understand what these meant to you, then he didn’t deserve you.” Leo shrugged. “His loss, my gain.”

  King’s lips spread into a soft smile. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Leo placed a kiss to King’s cheek, and King found the courage to give Leo what he’d been holding on to for a few weeks now.

  After returning the box of kits to the shelf, King pulled out another box. “This one has kits for Ace and the guys.”

  “Wow, there’s a lot of them.”

  “Two is one, and one is none.”

  Leo cocked his head to the side. “I never thought of it like that.”

  “Always have a backup,” King said, removing one of the tins. He handed it to Leo, who with a bemused smile opened it.

  Leo laughed as the first item on top was a tiny packet of Swedish Fish.

  “In case your blood sugar drops.”

  Beneath it was one of Red’s favorite Bravery Bandages—the bandage looking like a military medal that read “brave little soldier”—and underneath that was a compass, whistle, flashlight with the Four Kings Security crest, a low-profile flash drive, a cloth to clean his glasses, and….

  “Chapstick?”

  “It’s extremely valuable in survival situations. You can start a fire with it, prevent blisters, stop small cuts from bleeding.”

  “Thank you.” Leo beamed at him, and King’s heart did a flip. Every day he grew more and more in awe of Leo. “Question.”

  “Yes?”

  “Why the pink rubber band around it?”

  “That would be Ace. He entered the wrong SKU number during his last stationery order at work and we ended up with thousands of pink rubber bands.”

  Leo laughed. “That’s amazing.” His laughter faded, and he smiled lovingly at King as he placed the tin in his pocket. “I’ll always have it with me.” He wrapped his arms around King’s neck. “Thank you. For everything.”

  “Of course. Come on. Your office is all done.” King popped a kiss on Leo’s lips and laughed at Leo’s excited happy dance and loud “whoop.” He hadn’t let Leo see his progress so he could surprise him once it was complete. “Close your eyes.”

  Leo did as he asked, allowing himself to be led into the room. King closed the door behind them and let out a breath. Even if Leo knew what it looked like, since it had all come from his mind, the reality was always different.

  “Okay. Go ahead.”

  Leo opened his eyes and gasped. “Oh my God!” He slowly walked farther into the room. He ran his fingers along the edge of his sleek new desk, turning this way and that to take in everything. “Ward, this is….” His eyes glittered with unshed tears. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me.”

  “Come here. Let me love you.”

  Leo darted over, and King kissed him, feeling every ounce of love pouring out of Leo.

  “Thank you,” Leo said when he pulled back.

  King opened his mouth to reply, but Leo held a finger to King’s lips. His free hand cupped King through his jeans, and unable to help himself, King groaned and pushed his groin shamelessly against Leo’s hand, needing more. Damn, that felt so good.

  Leo rubbed King through his pants as he nipped at King’s jaw. “I think someone deserves a treat for all their hard work.” Leo moved his hands to King’s belt, unbuckling it before pushing his pants down to his thighs along with his underwear, his already hard, leaking cock jutting up, begging for attention. Leo wrapped a hand around King’s thick length, drawing a gasp from him.

  “I love how big and strong you are.”

  Leo sank to his knees, and King gripped the edges of the couch as Leo licked up the pearl of precome at the tip of his cock. King released a groan, his grip tightening as Leo moved his hand to the base of King’s dick before those plump lips wrapped his hard length in slick heat.

  “Oh God,” King groaned, placing a hand on Leo’s head as Leo sucked, licked, and laved every inch of King’s erection. Leo pulled away only long enough to wet his finger before he swallowed King down to the root. King bucked his hips, curling his fingers in Leo’s soft hair. Who said DIY didn’t have its rewards?

  King dropped his gaze, loving the decadent sight of his cock slipping in and out of Leo’s pink lips. When Leo slipped a finger between King’s asscheeks, the tip teasing his hole, King almost came right then.

  “I love how you make me feel,” King said, panting. He thrust his hips, fucking Leo’s mouth, his body shivering from the sensations Leo brought him with his talented tongue. “Leo,” King warned. He wasn’t going to last much longer.

  Leo pulled off him and stood, his lustful gaze aimed at King before he brought their mouths together in a searing kiss. Reaching into his back pocket, Leo pulled out a packet of lube. Saucy little minx. He put it in King’s hands and grabbed a fistful of King’s shirt, his swollen pink lips curling into a wicked grin. Leo switched their positions, his eyes never leaving King as he undid his own belt and pushed his pants and boxer briefs down to his ankles. His beautiful, hard cock had King’s mouthwatering.

  “We should break in the new office,” Leo said, his voice husky and laced with sex as he turned around and stuck his ass out in invitation. Leo whimpered, wantonly undulating his hips as he stroked himself.

  King wasn’t about to let him off that easy. Getting down on one knee, King parted Leo’s cheeks before spearing Leo’s hole with his tongue.

  “Oh my God!” Leo bucked his hips, and King wrapped a hand around Leo’s cock, stroking him as he continued to lick, nibble, and tongue Leo’s puckered entrance. Leo moaned and writhed, his hips moving frantically as he fucked King’s hand. His body trembled, his pleas growing desperate.

  “Ward, I can’t….”

  King stood, tore through the packet of lube, and slathered himself up good. He prepped Leo as fast as he could before lining himself up, then pushing in slowly. His muscles strained as he sank inside Leo inch by inch until he was balls-deep inside him.

  “You feel so damned good,” King growled, wrapping an arm around Leo’s chest, his other hand jerking Leo’s cock as he plunged in and out of his ass. Leo folded down over the couch, and King followed, his chest pressed to Leo’s back as he pounded into Leo, deep and hard. Their panting breaths and the sound of skin slapping skin filled the otherwise silent room.

  “Ward,” Leo moaned. “I’m gonna come.”

  King slid a hand around Leo’s neck, and Leo turned his head so King could ravish his mouth, stifling his cry as King hit his prostate. Leo came hard, squeezing around King’s painfully hard dick, and King’s roar when he came was lost inside Leo’s sweet mouth. He thrust several more times before collapsing on Leo.

  “Best. Day. Ever,” Leo panted, and King chuckled, carefully pulling out.

  King groaned at the feel of his come slipping out of Leo. Man, he loved knowing he was the only one leaving a part of himself in Leo. “Hold on.” He pulled up his pants and went over to the set of metal drawers, the top drawer containing wet wipes.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” Leo said with a blissed-out hum.

  Chuckling, King cleaned Leo up, then tossed the wipe. Leo straightened his clothes, turned, and kissed King.

  “You know what would be even more awesome right now?”

  His love was a creature of habit, and seeing as how it was lunchtime, it didn’t take a Leo to figure out his sweetheart was hungry. King tucked Leo against his side and walked with him out of the office and into the hall.

  “Time for a bacon, lettuce, and avocado bagel and Goldfish crackers?”

  “Make that six, and one for you if you’re hungry,” Ace called out from the living room.

  King smacked Ace upside the head as he walked by on his way to the kitchen.

  “Ow, what was that for?”

  “What have I said about boots on the coffee table?”

  “Shit.”

  King chuckled when Leo rounded the couch, greeted the guys, and then jumped to land between Jack and Ace, his two favorite people next to King. Leo loved all the guys, but over the last several weeks, he’d bonded the most with Ace and Jack. Jack because he was the only one who spoke Leo’s language when it came to all things computers and tech, and Ace because he made Leo laugh and was always finding new ways to torment King. For all his juvenile antics, Ace was a very smart man. Smart and intuitive. He was the only one besides King who’d quickly figured out how to read Leo and seemed to know what to do to help. The guys were all great, but it was different with Ace. It always had been.

  King got to work frying up bacon and prepping all the sandwich stuff, when Leo called out over his shoulder, “By the way, your title of Captain America has been revoked and given to Red.”

  King frowned at him. “What? Why?”